"The purpose of striking a pose is not to become like a wallpaper. That's why we chant loudly when we pose, to draw attention to our magnificence. I know. I'll just have to raise the stakes a little bit. The best poser gets a candy!"
— "A Legend Revealed"

Captain Ginyu (ギニュー) is the leading member of an elite mercenary platoon, the eponymous Ginyu Force. His name is a pun on gyūnyū (牛乳), the Japanese word for dairy milk.

Contents

Personality

Captain Ginyu is shown to care deeply about his teammates, becoming incredibly furious when learning from Jeice that his three other subordinates were defeated and killed. However, he also can be quite harsh to his team members if they fail a mission, as shown when he harshly scolds Jeice for letting Burter and Recoome lose to Goku and running away from the fight. He is also shown to be very loyal to Frieza, and follows any order Frieza gives him. His loyalty to Frieza appears to be so extreme that even after he has swapped bodies with a Namekian Frog, he tries to sneak a Namekian Dragon Ball away from Gohan to make sure that they do not use the Dragon Balls before Frieza can (or it may simply have been as revenge for such a humiliating defeat). However, despite his flaws, Ginyu has displayed a strong sense of honor in combat and prefers fairness in his battles, as shown when he refused to break Goku's neck due to Jeice interfering in their fight, and even threatening to kill Jeice if he did it again. Goku takes note of this and insinuates that Ginyu may not be all bad and even capable of redemption.

Biography

Early life

Ginyu after he swapped bodies with the richest kid in his class

Like the other members of the Ginyu Force, Ginyu's special powers originated during his childhood. When Ginyu first learned of his Body Change ability, he swapped bodies with the richest kid in his class, which made him popular with girls but also stupid, and he soon realized that men should compete in terms of strength rather than money.[1] Only a few people have seen Ginyu's true form, and Salza is among them. Salza had to fight Ginyu to become leader of Cooler's Armored Squadron.[2][3]

Commissioned to Namek

Captain Ginyu

Captain Ginyu and his comrades are commissioned after Frieza learns that Vegeta is searching for the seven Dragon Balls on Namek, and that the Saiyan's Power Level is growing rapidly, quickly surpassing Frieza's personal henchmen, Dodoria and Zarbon. The force spends five days traveling the stars en route to Namek, and upon reaching the planet, Frieza dispatches the team to capture Vegeta, kill his two companions (Krillin and Gohan), and recover the Dragon Balls which have since been stolen by Vegeta. Efficient as they are, the Ginyu Force do not take long to track down their targets and locate all seven Dragon Balls, with the rest of his team showing off their special talents, such as Burter's tremendous speed and Guldo's time freezing. Initially, Captain Ginyu intends to slay Vegeta by himself, but when his subordinates complain that they have not had the opportunity to fight, Ginyu concedes, allowing them to deal with Vegeta and the others while he returns the Dragon Balls to Frieza's spaceship.

Ginyu with his comrades finding the Dragon Balls

Captain Ginyu transfers the Dragon Balls back to Frieza, using his telekinetic powers to levitate the Dragon Balls, but the two almost instantly discover that they can not activate the artifacts to summon the Eternal Dragon. Remembering one of his previous Namekian victims whose last words told of how Frieza could never make a wish even with the seven Dragon Balls gathered, Frieza deduces that there must be a secret Namekian language custom used to activate them. The tyrant uses his scouter to investigate the vicinity for Nameks, finding three of them in an area that his forces left untouched (Nail, Guru and Dende). Captain Ginyu volunteers to force the secret out of them, but Frieza declines in favor of handling the task himself. In the meantime, Captain Ginyu is assigned to watch over the seven Dragon Balls.

"Body Change!"

Captain Ginyu wants to face Goku after Jeice alerts him of the threat

While guarding the Dragon Balls, Captain Ginyu is joined by one of his subordinates, a delirious Jeice, who confirms that a powerful warrior has arrived on Namek, and their comrades, Recoome, Burter and Guldo, have been brutally killed. Captain Ginyu scolds Jeice for running away from the battle, and advises against Jeice's proposal to warn Frieza, as he does not want this to compromise his reputation. Ginyu decides to confront this new fighter called Goku himself, leaving his subordinates in the care of the Dragon Balls (in the manga, Jeice is left to hide the balls, while in the anime, they are left to be buried by Frieza's low-class soldiers).

Ginyu performing the Body Change technique

Upon convening with Goku, Captain Ginyu determines that the Saiyan is capable of masking his true power level (as Ginyu is the only member of the Ginyu Force able to do so), speculating his true strength to be somewhere around 60,000 (in contrast to what has appeared on the Ginyu Force's scouters as a mere 5,000). The commander's first advance on Goku is only amplified when Vegeta escapes the scene in flight, in spite of the alliance he and Goku had formed specially for the encounter. This distraction leaves Goku open for an elbow bash to the face. Goku and Ginyu continue to do battle, with Ginyu eventually realizing his shortcomings against the Saiyan from Earth. Ginyu started to believe that Goku might even be a Super Saiyan. However, he disproved this as no Saiyan he ever encountered or heard about was as sympathetic as Goku. As Ginyu and Goku continue their battle, both Ginyu and Goku manage to trick each other, using certain tricks and stealth attacks to land hits, as they seem evenly matched. Despite managing to capture Goku in a full nelson, Ginyu releases him upon deducing that he was only able to take hold of Goku as a result of Jeice's interference, blasting Goku with a beam, which distracted him. For this, he admonishes Jeice, even threatening to kill him if he intrudes on the conflict once more. This act makes him seem to be an honorable fighter.

Ginyu in Goku's body attacked by Gohan

Captain Ginyu realizes Goku is not using his full power in their fight, and requests Goku to reveal his full power, which he does, shocking Ginyu and Jeice, as Goku's power was 180,000, while Ginyu's was 120,000. Accepting that he is at odds with Goku, Ginyu's next action is a startling one. He spontaneously stabs his chest, before revealing his true plot: resorting to his ability to exchange bodies in an attempt to level with Goku, showing the reason why he stabbed his old body; so that Goku cannot fight back and will eventually die of blood loss. The body change is a success, but Captain Ginyu fails to make the most of Goku's shell's power level of 180,000, stopping short at just 23,000. Only in the English dub, Jeice says that the power level was actually growing weaker.

Ginyu is pummeled by a relentless Vegeta

With this, he is promptly forced into a losing battle against Gohan and Krillin while Vegeta battles Jeice. However, midway through the battle, he begins to learn how to draw out Goku's full power and begins to fight back and win against Gohan and Krillin, even when Goku (having also learnt how to utilize Ginyu's body's power) tries to come to their assistance, Ginyu easily defeats all three of them. It is not until Vegeta, having finished off Jeice, appears and pummels Ginyu with his new maximum power. Beaten into the ground, Ginyu attempts switching bodies with Vegeta twice. The first time, Goku, still rendered within Ginyu's body, interferes with the attack. The second time, the further injured Goku successfully tosses a Namekian Frog within the trajectory of the Body Change's energy wave, thus rendering Captain Ginyu's soul trapped within the shell of the frog. Unable to pronounce the technique, he is unable to transfer himself to a new body. Likewise, Ginyu's original body inhabits the Frog's soul, and in a similar manner, can only speak in croaks.

Captain Ginyu is ultimately the only member of the Ginyu Force not to be killed by Vegeta. Though Vegeta has the opportunity to finish the captain off after Ginyu switches bodies with the frog, Vegeta opts not to kill him so as not to get "toad guts" all over his "nice clean boots" (in the manga and Kai, Vegeta lets him live after Goku mentions that he is no longer a threat, and states that the life he has ahead of him is torture enough).

Frog Ginyu

Ginyu and Bulma share a moment on Namek, after Ginyu accidentally exchanges bodies with a frog

In the manga, Ginyu is never seen or heard from again. In the anime, however, Ginyu continues making subsequent filler appearances as a frog. Here, he is discovered by Bulma and kept as her companion. After realizing that the frog understands human dialect, Bulma creates a device to translate his croaking into speech, which Ginyu in turn uses to betray Bulma with his regained ability to pronounce the Body Change technique. Seizing Bulma's body, Ginyu uses Bulma's air-ski to visit the site of Frieza and Goku's showdown, also attended by Piccolo, Krillin and Gohan; Bulma takes hold of the air-ski, and despite Ginyu's attempt to lose the frog, Bulma is able to reach her oblivious friends. Captain Ginyu attempted to pose as Bulma and watch the fight between Goku and Frieza, although he lets slip about his true identity when he blurted out cheers directed towards Frieza. Sensing that he ended up exposing himself, Ginyu wages an attack on the trio, before deciding to switch bodies with the most powerful of the three, Piccolo. Gohan comes to realize that the frog is in actuality Bulma, which leads him to throw Bulma in the path of the wave, reverting Ginyu to the shell of a frog once again, and restoring Bulma to her human body. Bulma and Ginyu are then blown away by the force of one of the blasts from Goku and Frieza's fight. They are eventually blown into a cliff by Goku's Spirit Bomb. Ginyu is eventually used to scout out to see where they are by Bulma, who is still sore about Ginyu's earlier betrayal. By the time Ginyu reports back to Bulma, she notices the immense aura overtaking an island in the vicinity: The same island Frieza, Goku, and Gohan are on as Goku transforms into a Super Saiyan.

Captain Ginyu at the Capsule Corporation

After a wish made to Porunga, the Eternal Dragon of Namek, Ginyu is later transported to Earth with all living beings on Namek except Goku and Frieza. Afterwards, Ginyu goes on to live among the frogs surrounding Capsule Corporation, apparently becoming the ruler of the pond. It is never revealed what becomes of the frog whose soul is within Ginyu's shell, save for one scene where he hops around the Earth forest where Porunga evacuates the people of Namek to Earth. Ginyu makes infrequent appearances in later episodes as a frog, such as outside Goku's house during Gohan's 11th birthday,[4] and later when he is picked up by a Great Saiyaman-disguised Gohan, after an attempt by Sharpner to unmask him.[5]

Video game stories

Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi Hero Mode

Ginyu appears as the first boss in the Hero Mode of Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi. In the Hero Mode, the Hero requests to take over the Ginyu Force. After beating Ginyu, when the Hero changes his mind and disagrees to leadership of the force, Ginyu gives the Hero his first Dragon Ball to summon Ultimate Shenron.

Dragon Ball Online

Mega Ginyu Frog in Dragon Ball Online

Captain Ginyu appears in the computer game Dragon Ball Online, when he and his forces arrive on Namek as per Frieza's orders as in the manga/anime. When Ginyu eventually takes over Goku's body, the Time Patrol fights him in order to stop him from getting to close to a brainwashing machine. Later, back in his original body, Ginyu attempts to take Vegeta's body, but Goku saves Vegeta by throwing a Namekian Frog between Ginyu and Vegeta, giving Ginyu the frog's body. Towa appears and, disappointed at not being able to take over Goku, transforms Frog Ginyu into Mega Ginyu Frog, giving him red eyes, a Time Breaker gem, and extra power and size (being the largest of the brainwashed Planet Trade Organization soldiers). Mega Ginyu Frog summons other types of Namekian Frogs to aid him during the battle. Even though he is still defeated by the Time Patrol, Towa finds him to be a success (compared to her other experiments).

Power level

During his battle with Goku, Frieza stated that he did not think anyone in the universe had surpassed Ginyu.[6]

When Ginyu trades bodies with Goku, his power level decreases to 23,000 (as well as decreasing even further, according to Jeice's reading on his scouter in the English dub), as he could not unlock Goku's power. In the Super Famicom game Legend of the Super Saiyan, Ginyu's power level decreases to 33,000.

While fighting Goku in his Kaio-ken x20 power, Frieza states that he must be the one who defeated and killed Captain Ginyu as, according to Frieza, "there was no way Vegeta could have done it". He emphasizes the fact that besides him, Ginyu was the strongest in the universe and offers Goku his position as Frieza's top-man.

Processed Power Crush – A jumping streak kick attack used in the Butōden series. In the Budokai series, Ginyu kicks the opponent up in the air, then he punches and kicks them down again, and finally Ginyu kicks his opponent in the back when he is down.

Strong Jersey – Ginyu charges the opponent at blinding speed with his elbow. Used in the Butōden series and the Budokai series.

Special Fighting Pose 1 – One of Ginyu's fighting poses named in the Budokai series. This fighting pose is also one of Ginyu's Blast 1 in the Budokai Tenkaichi series, renamed SP Fighting Pose 5.

Special Fighting Pose 2 – One of Ginyu's fighting poses named in the Budokai series.

Ginyu Fighting Pose: Body – One of Ginyu's fighting poses named in the Raging Blast games.

Ginyu Fighting Pose: Heart – One of Ginyu's fighting poses, named in the Raging Blast series. In Supersonic Warriors 2, this pose is named Special Pose and lowers the energy of Ginyu's opponent by 25%.

Ginyu Fighting Pose: Technique – One of Ginyu's fighting poses named in the Raging Blast series. It starts with the Special Fighting Pose 2 and is finished with the Special Fighting Pose 1.

Ginyu Fighting Pose – Ginyu poses and swaps his health and ki around. Used in Battle of Z.

Telekinesis – Used to transport the Namekian Dragon Balls to Frieza's spaceship.

Namekian Frogs – Mega Ginyu Frog can summon other types of Namekian Frogs to aid him in battle in Dragon Ball Online.

Forms

Body Change

Main article: Body Change
Captain Ginyu possess the mutant ability to change bodies with his opponent, taking on their power and abilities along with his own. Ginyu changes bodies with Goku and a Namekian Frog in the anime and manga, and also Bulma in the anime. Several video games give Ginyu more body changes, including Jeice and Vegeta.

In Dragon Ball: Xenoverse, after taking over Goku's body, Ginyu is given Villainous Mode, giving him access to Goku's full power.

Venyu

Main article: Vegeta
In Dragon Ball: Xenoverse, Ginyu takes over Vegeta, becoming Venyu. He then leads his "Venyu Force" in an attack on the Z Fighters, before taking over Goku's body.

Mega Ginyu Frog

Main articles: Namekian Frog and Time Breaker mind control
In Dragon Ball Online when Frog Ginyu is transformed into a giant Time Breaker by Towa he is named Mega Ginyu Frog. Mega Ginyu Frog is far larger and stronger than frog Ginyu, and is also capable of spitting acid and summoning other Namekian Frogs.

Video game appearances

"How could the captain of the galaxy illustrious Ginyu Force be beaten?"
— Ultimate Tenkaichi

In the two Supersonic Warriors games, Ginyu manages to survive the conflict on Namek in his humanoid form and continues to Earth (alongside Frieza in the first game) in seek of Earth's Dragon Balls. There, he faces and defeats characters such as Krillin, Android 20, Android 18, Super Saiyan Goku, Super Saiyan Gohan, Piccolo, and even the Legendary Super SaiyanBroly. In Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors 2, when Ginyu faces an opponent stronger than him (like Super Saiyan Goku or Future Trunks), he uses the same trick Cui played on Vegeta on Namek, saying to his rival that either Frieza or Cooler are behind them and then escapes in order to keep looking after the Dragon Balls with the Dragon Radar he stole from Krillin. In both games, Ginyu's only wish from the Dragon Balls is to revive his deceased friends and to re-form the Ginyu Force. In the first game, his wish demolishes Frieza's desire for immortality by accident as Frieza gives Ginyu the first wish as a reward for Ginyu's hard work of collecting the balls, thinking the Earth's Dragon Balls grant three wishes like the Namekian Dragon Balls. In the second game, his wish to revive his "allies that were killed on Nameks" makes him revive Frieza, Zarbon and Dodoria alongside the Ginyu Force members.

Captain Ginyu in Ultimate Tenkaichi

In Frieza's story-mode in Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors, Ginyu appears in front of Frieza after Frieza's victory over Super Saiyan Goku on Namek. Frieza is shocked, as he thought Ginyu was dead. Ginyu excuses for failing in his mission of obtaining the Dragon Balls. Frieza is in a good mood after killing Goku and forgives him, and they both escape the dying Planet Namek just before the explosion. On Planet Frieza 79, Frieza gives Ginyu a chance of cleaning his reputation and they both make a journey to Earth for its Dragon Balls. They conquer the planet after killing the Z Fighters and destroying the populated areas on it. Frieza then renames Earth: "Planet Frieza #80". Ginyu finds the Dragon Radar on the West City ruins and starts to look after the balls. After finding four of them, he locates Dr. Gero's secret lab, where Android 20 is keeping the remaining balls in order to lure the two aliens in, believing he will be able to take down Frieza if he absorbs Ginyu's energy. Ginyu's scouter does not detect any person near the balls' location, so he goes in to look if it is a trap. While inside, he is attacked from behind and killed by Android 20. Frieza then meets Android 20 and says that, considering Android 20's mechanic way of powering up, Ginyu "never stood a chance".

Trivia

Captain Ginyu's "Character Introduction" biography in the Budokai Tenkaichi video game series states that Ginyu has used the Body Change technique numerous times in his career and that his humanoid appearance in Dragon Ball Z is the result of a previous Body Change, rather than Ginyu's original shell. However, Ginyu's appearance as a child and in the Other World after dying in the body of a Namekian Frog (the product of an awry Body Change) is the form he had during first on-screen appearance. It may be possible, however, that this body was simply his preferred one, the one he had stayed in for the most time (even longer than the frog), or that he had switched back to his original one sometime before the battle on Namek, or that the artists/animators wanted to ensure he was recognized easily by the viewers.

Captain Ginyu has blue blood. This may be in reference to the term "Blue Blood", which refers to the royal class, seeing as Captain Ginyu is a captain, and he sees himself higher than all warriors.

Ginyu's true race is unknown, due to the fact that the body he had might not have been his original. However, he did state once that he and Jeice are mutants.

In Chi-Chi's commentary in Budokai Tenkaichi 3, she notes that Ginyu appears to like comic book heroes. Indeed, he does often strike poses like a hero.

In most English dubs of Dragon Ball Z, each of Captain Ginyu's voice actors also served as series narrators: Dale Kelly was the first narrator in the FUNimation dub (until he was replaced by Kyle Hebert), and Brice Armstrong was the narrator of the Dragon Ball anime series. Of note, even though Ginyu and the narrator are not the same voice actor in the English dub of Dragon Ball Z Kai, that series' narrator, Doc Morgan, sounds strikingly similar to Richard Newman (Ginyu's Ocean dub voice actor).

In the Remastered Ginyu Saga, where Ginyu is voiced by Brice Armstrong, Dale Kelly's voice is still used whenever Ginyu powers up, possibly due to Armstrong's age (of note, Armstrong retired shortly after the Remastered versions).

Ginyu's reaction for Jeice's report about the death of Guldo, Recoome and Burter differs in the English dubs: in the original Ocean dub, he shouts that "How could three of the most powerful warriors in the universe be defeated?!" and then has a flashback of each of them. However, in the FUNimation dub, he shouts "How could two of the of the most powerful warriors in the universe be defeated?!" and then has the same visual of them three; which could be because Goku did not defeat Guldo and Ginyu does specify "one man" defeating Recoome and Burter.

In the scene he appears as ghost in the Other World on Dragon Ball GT, Ginyu is drawn with white gloves (like most of Frieza's henchmen and Ginyu Force members), instead of the black & white arm-protectors he wear in his humanoid shell.

Gallery

Ginyu's favorite pose

Ginyu uses his scouter

The disciplined Ginyu promises Frieza that he will not fail

Ginyu grins infront of Vegeta, Krillin & Gohan

Ginyu is on his way back to Frieza's ship, along with the Dragon Balls

Ginyu does the Dance of Joy

Captain Ginyu furious at Jeice for running away from the battle

Jeice and Ginyu try to pull off their poses without the rest of their team